tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45800289929380717112018-05-29T00:16:03.633-06:00Magnolya Designs & Mariselaa little blog about me, my store, my life and the ups and downs of being...
on our adoption journey...againmariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-17889423117886940892011-03-02T08:55:00.000-07:002011-03-02T08:55:12.513-07:00Back.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KHpVlTqJNjM/TW5nwP94mvI/AAAAAAAAAV0/W-kVyF9nyRk/s1600/5years+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KHpVlTqJNjM/TW5nwP94mvI/AAAAAAAAAV0/W-kVyF9nyRk/s320/5years+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my son's 5th birthday...surprise lunch with dada!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's been a while...a long while. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's been a busy whirlwind these last give or take 6 months. I've seen my daughter grow from an infant to a mobile tornado and my son begin to read. He starts Kinder in the Fall...no more homeschool for that kid. It was a hard decision...but mama being his teacher was not working for the both of us. He's brillant...and knows it...we are both stubborn, strong-willed...and quite frankly I'm tired of fighting him everyday. So off to private school boy! (I'm still homeschooling him...only we aren't doing it everyday) I can't believe it's been 5 years since his birth...we celebrated his actually birthday by having a surprise lunch with dada....and that weekend we had a lucha libre party. I'll blog more on that later. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Okay so...the last time I posted I wanted to lose weight, was going to see an encrinologist, had labs done etc. Well....I went to the encrinologist. He was a jerk. I sat through his "seminar" and saw him the next day. He asked me what my goal was. I said "well, I'd like to lose weight and....." He interrupted me and said "well, I'm no FAT doctor!...the correct answer would have been a baby" I was speechless. He said "you probably have PCOS soooo, it will take you a year...you can't eat any carbs...so go on the Atkins diet....and that "running around after kids all day" is obviously not enough exercise. "I told him how can I have PCOS and have always had a regular period and that the only symptom I've had is cysts?" He said "hmmmmmm" and ordered a bunch of tests and then his goon came in to tell me all about their financial plans. He was like a cars salesman and by the end of it, I wanted to punch both of them in their ugly faces. Sorry, but I did. Then the gyno came in and gave me all the orders and said he'd call me back with the results. I got the blood tests done at a place where my insurance pays 100%. About 2 weeks later I get a call from the gyno's nurse...who was extremely rude. She said that I had had the bill sent to the gyno personally and that I needed to pick it up immediately and pay for it. It was over $400. I told her all I did was go to the lab...I didn't "have them bill the doctor" She said...well you must have checked off a box or something...but you need to come get this right now!" Wow. So I went...picked it up and called the lab. I told them what happened. They were really nice and said that the gyno set it up that way...and they'd take care of it. I never got a call back from the gyno. So I don't have the results...I've called and left messages. I went to the lab yesterday...they said it will take 30 days for them to mail me my results. I just want to know if I have lupus or don't have lupus.</div><br />I decided to see a nutritionist. I got on a eating plan. 1200 calories, 30 grams of fat, no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving...limit red meat, eat&nbsp;breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner,&nbsp;drink 10-12 glasses of water, exercise 5 days a week. PORTION CONTROL.....and I discovered Zumba.<br /><br />Oh Zumba how I love you! I went to several different classes until I found my "match" I love my instructor and the people that go there....and I sweat like hog...and I'm sad when the hour is up. I'm expecting my Zumba pants today...they have ribbons on the butt...and I'm so going to wear them!<br /><br />&nbsp;The only time I can't eat carbs is at dinner. I set a goal to lose at least 40 pounds by my birthday, which is in 2 weeks. I've lost 39. I've dropped 4 sizes in 4 months. I feel amazing. I still need to lose between 10-15 pounds after that.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I went to my regular doctor a couple of weeks ago...he had some labs that came to him from the nutritionist and also when I had that kidney stone...I have high uric acid...which can cause gout...if I had gone on the Atkins diet...it could have killed my kidneys. I probably won't be able to eat read meat again. I'm waiting for some more results to see how bad it really is...I've limited it to once a week...as part of the diet...so I'm hoping that will be enough. If not, I may have to become a vegetarian that can't eat oats, legumes, asparagus, yeast, spinach...basically all my favorites...so we will see. I still want to punch someone.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sorry this is a bunch of medical issues...but I felt like I needed to say all of that...so I don't punch someone!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Okay onto other business. I can't wait for Spring. I'm so ready to start the veggie garden...and this year, so is my son. We saw the veggie and herb plants yesterday at Wal-Mart....he knew what some of them were! He wanted to get some right then and there. But we need to replace our soil...and this year I was to start a compost pile. I can't wait to get my hands into fresh earth and smell Spring rains...ahhhh.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-85488230418488180642010-09-30T00:23:00.000-06:002010-09-30T00:23:51.199-06:00Enjoying the Moments﻿ <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQnmGb3wnI/AAAAAAAAAVI/7i_6TnZxa3k/s1600/SF10+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQnmGb3wnI/AAAAAAAAAVI/7i_6TnZxa3k/s320/SF10+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Japanese Tea Gardens, San Francisco</td></tr></tbody></table>﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>﻿﻿ <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's been weeks. A lot has happened...all good..well most of it. My hubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary this month by going to San Francisco....without the Littles. It was so amazing and needed. We enjoyed every moment we had together....walked a lot...talked a lot...drank tea...laughed...and remembered our honeymoon pizza and wine. We missed the Littles. I had the great idea of making packets for Jude to open every morning. Included was a letter with drawings, activities for the day (Playdoh, poppers, bubbles..etc.) Photos from when he was a baby, candy, confetti, small toys&nbsp;and homework. I forgot to mention that we started homeschool...I'll blog more about that later. We also took photos everyday and uploaded them so that my mom could show him what we did that day....I wanted to make sure that eventhough this was a "mommy and dada vacation"...he was still missed and included. It worked. He was actually upset that he didn't get one on the day we came home!&nbsp;</div><br />﻿﻿﻿﻿ <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Before the trip I&nbsp;had kidney stone surgery, an ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit (I still do), a hurt back and knee....and I'm vitamin D deficient. So slowly I'm addressing these one at a time. I saw an OBGYN for the first time in&nbsp;6 years (I still get a yearly check-up with my family dr.) for the cyst and they haven't decided what they are going to do. However they do want to help me figure out what is wrong... maybe PCOS, Lupus, enter other stupid infertility issue here...so I've been&nbsp;passing out blood samples left and right....and we are just waiting for the results. He also had me see an infertility dr.....cringe....who's also on this treck to figure out what's going on....I just want to be able to exercise...but enough about that. </div>﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQoZIaVFSI/AAAAAAAAAVU/6Gs1cU8eEVI/s1600/soccer2010+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQoZIaVFSI/AAAAAAAAAVU/6Gs1cU8eEVI/s320/soccer2010+010.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother and Sister</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQohHg8uAI/AAAAAAAAAVY/-upZyl1rxj4/s1600/school10+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQohHg8uAI/AAAAAAAAAVY/-upZyl1rxj4/s320/school10+002.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Van Gogh</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We started homeschooling Jude. It was hard in the beginning. He's an action boy...and only 4 years old...but we are now a well oiled machine. He read and wrote his first word yesterday..."bat"...he was so proud. I've enjoyed exposing him to the things I love...like Art. In San Francisco we went to an art museum...where my passion for art was awoken again. We saw Monet's, Renoir's, Caillebotte's, Whistler's and more...my first thought was how could I share this with Jude. So every week we "study" about one artist...the first one was Vincent Van Gogh...we talked about him, his career (or lack of it), cutting off his ear, and the technique he used...I had an old Van Gogh calendar I found while cleaning under our bed (perfect timing) and he loved looking through all of them. We then mixed glue and acrylic paint to make them extra thick...I drew a scene with swirly skies, hills and trees...and had him paint a starry day picture...he did so well....he then used a fork to make "brush strokes" like Van Gogh's painting had. We had a moment....and I hope that we continue to.&nbsp; He also started soccer and music class. That is a blog all on it's own!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQn16cM9LI/AAAAAAAAAVM/PtIvNgGKED0/s1600/5+months+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQn16cM9LI/AAAAAAAAAVM/PtIvNgGKED0/s320/5+months+020.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whitesands, NM 5 months</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQoA7GMvFI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/TG5o2402k4s/s1600/6months+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TKQoA7GMvFI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/TG5o2402k4s/s320/6months+006.JPG" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">found this fabulous dress in China Town!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Scarlytt is an amazing baby girl. She's 6 months already. She rolled over 2 weeks ago and sits up for a long time. She hates bananas and apples....but loves all the veggies...except peas. She's overly in love with watermelon.&nbsp;She has started to smack her lips when she's hungry. She is a mama's girl. I love dressing her up...but she spends most of her days in just a diaper. It's such a blessing to see Jude and Scarlytt interact with one another. They just love each other so much....Jude loves making up songs like "I love my sister...she's so pretty...I love my sister...she's so chunky...I love my sisssssssster....all while she laughs and coos and grabs his face. Hopefully we finalized next month!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So for now I'm enjoying the moments....<br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-84410806600643774422010-08-13T00:09:00.003-06:002010-08-13T00:49:42.828-06:004 months<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTooC6RSEI/AAAAAAAAAUY/QxRe2qvbXwc/s1600/4+monthsjude+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTooC6RSEI/AAAAAAAAAUY/QxRe2qvbXwc/s320/4+monthsjude+043.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTpRnA-1_I/AAAAAAAAAUo/F6iQNrobXIg/s1600/4+monthsjude+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTpRnA-1_I/AAAAAAAAAUo/F6iQNrobXIg/s320/4+monthsjude+010.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTo3D0XP0I/AAAAAAAAAUg/gNizB8l_wRw/s1600/4+monthsjude+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTo3D0XP0I/AAAAAAAAAUg/gNizB8l_wRw/s320/4+monthsjude+003.JPG" /></a><span style="color: black;">This summer has been full of firsts....Jude's first time playing T-ball, attending a preschool activity class by himself, going camping, being a big brother and seeing the Alamo. I made jam for the first time and Scarlytt got her first taste of rice and oatmeal. We've been busy. I've had little time to myself and much less time to craft. We finally have settled into a routine and I'm slowly adding stuff to my store. I miss it. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTppAd6-aI/AAAAAAAAAU4/D0l9kss2Igc/s1600/tball10+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TGTppAd6-aI/AAAAAAAAAU4/D0l9kss2Igc/s320/tball10+006.JPG" /></a><span style="color: black;">Scarlytt is growing so much. She is full of life and we are starting to see more and more of her personaility. She is a happy baby...easy to please....and has started blowing rasberries...Jude calls it "giving you addertoots" (attitude) She hasn't quite made a complete roll over...but she's trying. She's a drooler, spitter upper and blow out diaper girl. I'm sure that TMI. She turns 5 months in 3 days. One more month until we can petition for adoption!</span></div><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: black;">Jude starts homeschool and soccer next week.</span><br /><span style="color: black;">I'm ready to smell Fall.</span>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-78308135605623929212010-06-21T23:36:00.000-06:002010-06-21T23:36:45.064-06:003 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TCBLSPyF1jI/AAAAAAAAAUE/-dOO4ntdl4s/s1600/etsy+003edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ru="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/TCBLSPyF1jI/AAAAAAAAAUE/-dOO4ntdl4s/s320/etsy+003edit.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">You are such a delight. You have opened so many doors of creativity in me. I love making you "pillowcase" dresses, &nbsp;ruffle bootie covers and headbands for every outfit.&nbsp;For the past 3 weeks, you have slept through the night. No sleep training required. You are discovering your laugh and are very ticklish. I can't tickle you long enough to get you to giggle because I start laughing so hard. I enjoy watching you discover the world around you...you grab everything in front of you and scream in delight. I love watching brother be a brother to you...he asks everyday when you will be big enough to play.&nbsp; You weigh 13.4 pounds!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Just 3 months ago I was waiting for my miracle. I'm praying for all my friends that are waiting for theirs....mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-75010519375468269142010-05-19T01:12:00.000-06:002010-05-19T01:12:04.785-06:00Belle of the Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S_OO8ABtyLI/AAAAAAAAAT8/bQYWjn3tKtc/s1600/2+months+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S_OO8ABtyLI/AAAAAAAAAT8/bQYWjn3tKtc/s320/2+months+025.JPG" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Dear 2 month old&nbsp;Scarlytt: You are an amazing baby. You are beginning to coo and smile...and every once in a while, yell in delight. You weigh 11 lbs 5 oz and are 22" long. You love the swing and hate the bouncer. You have a talented gift of getting out of the swaddler...no matter how snug you are. You got you ears pierced today...and cried for less than 20 seconds...and then fell asleep. You love to sleep and you can do it anywhere. Brother came up with the name "tootie" for you...because you are a cutie patootie...He loves you so much. When you cry, he'll run over to you and whisper..."it's ok, brother is here"&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm so grateful for you and thank God for such a precious gift.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">love,</div>mamamariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-31783896488559960812010-03-31T21:27:00.000-06:002010-03-31T21:27:35.731-06:00Family of Four<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S7QSbvwlZ2I/AAAAAAAAAT0/omDqDQc7P5c/s1600/S%26J2weeks+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S7QSbvwlZ2I/AAAAAAAAAT0/omDqDQc7P5c/s320/S%26J2weeks+049.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Wow...I never knew it could take 20 minutes to get into the car. I've learned in the last 2 weeks...that adding another kiddo to the mix...someone always has to go poop. We are home home....and we haven't stopped. We are also preparing to throw my son's 4th B-day party this weekend...yes...2 months late...but a full force dress up kinda party...hey I should be hanging castle walls right now...so I'll keep this short. We are in the end stage of the adoption process...baby Scarlytt has to live here for 6 months to become a "resident" of our state...and then we can file for finalization. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">She is a sweet baby. Sleeps well...eats well...and is super laid back. She's only thrown a couple of 2 am parties. She is a delight..and&nbsp; we can't wait to see her personality unfold. Our son had a rough first week...trying to figure out his role...he is officially the diaper thrower and door opener. We are all adjusting well...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We are now a family of four.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S7QSUxUz52I/AAAAAAAAATs/ejbvPNh1myw/s1600/S%26J2weeks+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S7QSUxUz52I/AAAAAAAAATs/ejbvPNh1myw/s320/S%26J2weeks+038.JPG" /></a></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-41484891277536921712010-03-19T15:02:00.000-06:002010-03-19T15:02:21.300-06:00Scarlytt Raquel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S6PmBVXQgnI/AAAAAAAAATk/3FnkFQU2RPU/s1600-h/scarlytt+newborn+073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S6PmBVXQgnI/AAAAAAAAATk/3FnkFQU2RPU/s320/scarlytt+newborn+073.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our beautiful girl is here...and she's perfect. I will tell you the last couple of days are a whirlwind behind us. We got a call last Monday that the doctors decided to induce the birthmother..we threw things in a bag and headed 14 hours to the hospital. We didn't make it to her birth...I got to hear it by cell phone lol...and heard her first cries. She was born on my birthday.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">God is amazing. His gifts are perfect. His mercy and tenderness towards me is undeserved....He is so gracious. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've enjoyed hearing the little squeaks of a newborn...even smelling like puke n' poop....she is so peaceful...and has mounds of hair!</div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-15226782362279391292010-03-04T10:16:00.000-07:002010-03-04T10:16:23.476-07:00LOL(enter whirlwind here)<br />We drove through the great state of Texas in record time...especially with a 4 year old. The birthmother had a amniocentesis done this past Tuesday....and we found out that she isn't as far along as we thought. They are guesstimating around 35 weeks or so. They don't know. I'm glad that&nbsp;baby girl&nbsp;still has some "cooking" to do. The reason they were going to induce was because for a 39 weeker she was measuring small...and they were concerned that she wasn't growing properly...so all along...she just isn't "done" I'm flying back by myself in 2 weeks...well that's the plan...but like we all know...plans change. <br /><br />God's hand is very much in control...and I love it.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-5663800402473622182010-02-23T21:55:00.000-07:002010-02-23T21:55:35.738-07:00my "rescue guy"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S4SslZXefCI/AAAAAAAAATU/xBZjMciu1ig/s1600-h/mama+%26+jude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="375" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S4SslZXefCI/AAAAAAAAATU/xBZjMciu1ig/s400/mama+%26+jude.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Today is my son's 4th B-day. This is a day that God ended my sorrow, pain and longing for a child. This is the day that I&nbsp;became a mama. I&nbsp;will remember this day until I die.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will remember that it rained that night as we slept in the car. We just couldn't go to a hotel...we didn't want to miss his birth. He was perfect. I will remember feeding&nbsp;him that morning and singing.."you are my sunshine"...and watching&nbsp;his every move. I love being your mama Jude...with all my heart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I didn't know then..what I was in store for. A bright, witty, passionate, hard-headed, teaser of a boy...one who loves dirt, trucks, playing pretend and reading books. One who would say "I'm a leader"...with such declaration...that I believe him. One who argues with everything and likes things in a particular way...and I guarantee it was the exact opposite of how you wanted it. One who doesn't like to lose. One who loves to pray...and calls himself a "mighty man of God" One who is passionate about music...especially Johnny Cash. One who loves soft things and hates the cold. One who loves to love.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love&nbsp;you my Jude...and I'm so thankful God blessed us with you. You are my&nbsp;"rescue guy", my knight, and my precious gift from above!&nbsp;</div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-67276412677134232702010-02-19T12:16:00.001-07:002010-02-19T12:17:21.400-07:002 week count down!Yesterday we met with our lawyer...and all the paperwork is pretty much in order...phew! (enter huge sigh of relief) The lovely birthfamily had an appointment yesterday and they told her she was full term and that if she didn't go into labor within 2 weeks...they would induce! (after checking to make sure baby girl's lungs were developed)<br /><br />I'm still in a state of shock...all I can think about is finishing her room, cleaning and packing...and making sure we have everything in order. I think I'm just too crazy excited that I don't know what to do with myself.<br /><br />I'm feeling so much better, now that I had my gall bladder removed! It's so nice not to be in pain anymore! I ended up having over 1 inch gall stones!! And by the time baby girl arrives, I'll be off the not-lifting-anything- over-20-lbs-restriction...<br />Last week we decided to wash all the baby clothes, and prepare the room. Jude had a blast helping dada put up the crib and birchtree decals we got <a href="http://creativewalls.etsy.com/">from creative walls</a>&nbsp;off of etsy of course! They were easy to put up and they had great customer service!! I also finished making the crib skirt, bumber, pillow and sweet birdies for her mobile. Today we are going to finish sanding and staining the changing table and armoire...it's all coming along!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37hqnCgg5I/AAAAAAAAAS0/9npRDIUlk44/s1600-h/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37hqnCgg5I/AAAAAAAAAS0/9npRDIUlk44/s320/005.JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37jI29qIaI/AAAAAAAAAS8/-jS3YjL-Ing/s1600-h/scarlytt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37jI29qIaI/AAAAAAAAAS8/-jS3YjL-Ing/s320/scarlytt1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37jSAqA--I/AAAAAAAAATE/qAbhUuZyRVo/s1600-h/scarlytt3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37jSAqA--I/AAAAAAAAATE/qAbhUuZyRVo/s320/scarlytt3.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37jZyuWeiI/AAAAAAAAATM/2OiQX9D-tE8/s1600-h/scarlytt5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S37jZyuWeiI/AAAAAAAAATM/2OiQX9D-tE8/s320/scarlytt5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm in awe of God's grace, mercy and goodness.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-8886418806220826802010-02-04T15:06:00.000-07:002010-02-04T15:06:01.782-07:00Nesting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S2tEfAX5WSI/AAAAAAAAASs/VjXXgJxjGpw/s1600-h/birchtrees1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S2tEfAX5WSI/AAAAAAAAASs/VjXXgJxjGpw/s320/birchtrees1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well it's weeks before we bring our baby girl home, but I can't help but clean. It doesn't help that tomorrow I will be having gall bladder surgery...so all I think about is that I won't be able to clean clean. I'm taking a short break to blog and then it's back to shop vac-ing baseboards. :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">&nbsp;Today I received the birchtree decals I ordered off Etsy...I&nbsp;want to put them up....but I'm still waiting until it's closer to the due date. I can't even make myself wash the clothes that our family has so kindly bought already. The one "failed adoption" that we had...the baby was a girl...so I'm trying not to compare that situation to this one...because it's nothing like this one...and I don't really have the fear that that the birthfamily is going to change their adoption plans for their baby....but&nbsp;it's really difficult for me to completely&nbsp;un-guard my heart.&nbsp;So I'll wait a couple more weeks. The room is going to be darling. I had already painted it an aqua and cream...with chocolate and aqua damask accents...and the floor is shades of terracotta. There will be birch trees, peacocks, damask, sweet bunnies and maybe an owl or two...her crib bumber I still need to make (which will be aqua and chocolate damask)...and stain the furniture I bought 3 years ago...I don't know if we will get that done before she's here. I figure we have 6 months before we need to get her room completely done, since she will be sleeping in a bassinet in our room anyway. I'm excited to get this surgery over with and recover.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>I'm praying for the birthfamily everyday...that they are strengthen through this whole process and that they feel God's love for them. I also pray that they both get the rest and health that they&nbsp;both need. They are so precious...and we absolutely love them.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-14862942356771876432010-01-28T20:57:00.000-07:002010-01-28T20:57:56.742-07:00Sugar and SpiceAs I sit here trying to figure out words to express God's grace, mercy and peace... I can't. It's been an amazing journey so far. &nbsp;Miracles are happening throughout this whole adoption process...that I can't even begin. The birthparents are beautiful. During our first meeting...we just sat and talked like old friends...<br />We pray that God will continue to knit our hearts together.<br /><br />So since the last time I've blogged...we were told that it was a boy...however today at the ultrasound we found out that it's a girl!!!! We are amazed. Plain and simple. I can't belive that we will be meeting her in a matter of weeks. Our son has prayed for a baby sister for over a year now...so when we told him that it was a baby girl and not a boy...he was confused and excited...lol.<br /><br /><br /><br />Now to return some not-so-gender neutral clothing and make some slight changes to our registry....and make a crazy amount of hair wraps and sweet booties with flowers!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S2JcH89C7yI/AAAAAAAAASc/e5UbC8LXeQM/s1600-h/SAvidor2010+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/S2JcH89C7yI/AAAAAAAAASc/e5UbC8LXeQM/s320/SAvidor2010+061.JPG" /></a></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-80673476506602386382010-01-18T22:42:00.000-07:002010-01-18T22:42:50.185-07:00The most daring blog I've written.To make a long story short.&nbsp; We will be adding to our family in about 2 months!<br />Now, like most domestic adoptions...circumstances can always change...but we are trusting God that He would close doors and open doors. So far, doors are swinging open.....with every other "opportunity" in the past year...doors shut immediately. I don't know God's plan for our family, but I do trust him. So, yes this is the most daring blog I've written...meaning that an adoption is not final until the papers are signed...yet I'm sharing with family, friends...and you!<br /><br />I'm grateful that God has heard the cries of my heart. I'm overwhelmed with His peace...which is different for me.&nbsp;We are meeting the birthfamily in less that a week. <br /><br />Our agency will not be facilitating this adoption because the baby is in another state...for even that I'm thankful. We always said (and were told) that our son's adoption (private, independent through lawyers...and way cheaper) really don't happen as often...and not to expect it to happen like that again. God did it!<br />The baby is a boy!<br />I will update on our journey after we meet the birthfamily.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-88315821866603037922009-12-13T23:34:00.000-07:002009-12-13T23:34:22.528-07:00WaitingI'm not going to lie...I think waiting sucks...to put it lightly and not lady-like. These last couple of weeks have been difficult and challenging in every way. I'm really not one to "air" my feelings into cyberspace...but I really don't feel like writing. <br />Last week we got a call that there was a BM that needed to make an adoption plan for her days old son&nbsp;or CYFD was going to take him. First the BM was already considering adoption...and was "leaning" towards picking us...but then decided to parent. Which is fine...it's her baby...her decision. All of her other&nbsp;children are in state custody. We were told if she did choose us...we would need to be there immediately...a 5 hour drive...etc.etc. I quickly realized that we weren't&nbsp;in a&nbsp;"stand-by-ready-at-the-door mode." I quickly and anxiously searched for newborn clothing...and all the works...found the infant carseat and soft blankets...newborn hats...and through them into the washer.&nbsp; All of that stuff has been stored deep into the mess, we call the garage, and I haven't looked at that stuff in such a long time...I tried not to fantasize about a newborn baby..that may or not may be my future son. My son and I raced to the store to buy diapers, wipes, newborn care stuff...and sweet little booties. I didn't tell Jude what or who they were for. He longs for a sibling...and if it didn't work out...I couldn't bare to tell him. So I just said they were gifts...they were...I wasn't exactly lying. I came home and folded each item and placed them in a diaper bag....and stood back...looking at the fresh and nicely folded heap of items. It was hard. <br />Reality sets in. I know that we haven't been picked. I know that if she doesn't choose adoption...CYFD isn't going to wait long to take custody of the baby....and once that happens...we wouldn't be able to adopt him....he would be "in the system." Our social worker calls and says that they haven't heard anything and she would call me tomorrow. A glimmer of hope sparkled in the distance. I prayed all night.<br /><br />Morning came...and so did the phone call. The BM wasn't able to make the decision to place her baby...so he's now in the custody of the state. My first reaction was sorrow...not for me...but for the BM. I can't imagine what she is feeling. First she decided to place her baby....then to parent....and then it was decided for her. I just can't imagine. I know what it feels like to lose a child...I've done it twice. But I never was able to hold them. I'm still praying for this BM...whom I've never met...and I hope that she gets her life back.<br /><br />Now I have a nicely folded heap of&nbsp; items...(which by the way...I was smart enough to buy in white, green and yellow)....which was quickly moved to the back bedroom...so I didn't have to pass by it 30 times a day...and re-live that I'm still waiting for my babies. Waiting sucks. <br /><br />Oh wait I forgot to mention that during this time, I was supposed to make a trip to the location where my hubby is working to bring a load of stuff home. He only has one more week. I didn't want to leave and then we get a call that we need to be somewhere immediately. So we decided that I'd go the next day. My son ended up hurting his knee...and he may need surgery. Three years old...and may need knee surgery.<br />P.S. jumping over marbles to impress some pretty girls...is way overrated. <br /><br />All I can say is this family is praying for a lot of miracles.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-37947917562659219382009-12-04T12:12:00.000-07:002009-12-04T12:12:49.174-07:00Catching Up...<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlapBjWq8I/AAAAAAAAAR0/7PDYiGLPvRI/s1600-h/pumpkinwhitesands09+146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlapBjWq8I/AAAAAAAAAR0/7PDYiGLPvRI/s200/pumpkinwhitesands09+146.jpg" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlawGI8KkI/AAAAAAAAAR8/1bxhAncWKfI/s1600-h/chrismtas+114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlawGI8KkI/AAAAAAAAAR8/1bxhAncWKfI/s200/chrismtas+114.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxla_g0Jl6I/AAAAAAAAASM/MVDFeG3G4IQ/s1600-h/CONVAR9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxla_g0Jl6I/AAAAAAAAASM/MVDFeG3G4IQ/s200/CONVAR9.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxlaec3w9dI/AAAAAAAAARs/kI6wJhRciJk/s1600-h/rennasiance09+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxlaec3w9dI/AAAAAAAAARs/kI6wJhRciJk/s200/rennasiance09+014.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxla3SN-jVI/AAAAAAAAASE/y6afH8Z8oiE/s1600-h/chrismtas+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxla3SN-jVI/AAAAAAAAASE/y6afH8Z8oiE/s200/chrismtas+015.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlaVoMo7JI/AAAAAAAAARk/nLxkcmtlRFE/s1600-h/snow+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlaVoMo7JI/AAAAAAAAARk/nLxkcmtlRFE/s200/snow+020.jpg" /></a>These last couple of weeks have forced me to neglect my blog...from the Flu to decorating the tree, baking, family having surgery, Thanksgiving, fairs, Fall, Winter..Snow...and&nbsp;lots of Etsy orders and Christmas Photo shoots...it's great to sit down for a bit and "catch up" <br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">First...<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We are still waiting to hear about the 3 little girls in foster care. Their social worker isn't able to give us any information...which we completely understand.&nbsp;The last update we had from their foster mom...is that they had another court date this past Monday...we don't know what was decided. We do know that the baby is now in state custody...we don't know why. I think about these girls and pray for them everyday...I pray for God's decision in their life...whether that means being reunited with their mother...or not... We hope that if they do become eligible for adoption that we would be considered.<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">During my son's prayers last night...he prayed that God would send him some baby sisters (he's been saying that for over a year lol) so that he can have someone to play with...he then turned to me and said "I will share all my toys and my bed." It's bittersweet to know that he is longing for a sibling...just as much as we are longing for&nbsp;more children. &nbsp;We hope that God answers our prayers very soon!<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Fall and Winter...came so quickly this year...but I've enjoyed every moment of it. The changing leaves and cool weather put me in the mood for Christmas movies, hot cocoa and flannel sheets. Today we woke up to snow covered everything...I don't remember the last time it really snowed in Southern New Mexico...it's been years...usually we have to drive to the mountains...Jude had a blast playing, but quickly realized that being wet and cold was way overrated!<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Since I've last blogged...I've added more Scoodies, Magnet Sets, Hair Wraps (for women and babies!)&nbsp;and Messengers to my store...I'm working on getting some more done this weekend...<br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZQXvma4I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/sy9J49KoBWo/s1600-h/magnets+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZQXvma4I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/sy9J49KoBWo/s320/magnets+008.jpg" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZYr-WfQI/AAAAAAAAARE/evG2vkDV70c/s1600-h/hair+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZYr-WfQI/AAAAAAAAARE/evG2vkDV70c/s320/hair+060.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZjLm-TMI/AAAAAAAAARM/3uOA7gHee4U/s1600-h/scoodie+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZjLm-TMI/AAAAAAAAARM/3uOA7gHee4U/s320/scoodie+009.jpg" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZ91mFZWI/AAAAAAAAARU/uyqObAvxcoo/s1600-h/scoodie+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlZ91mFZWI/AAAAAAAAARU/uyqObAvxcoo/s320/scoodie+005.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlaHn2-qSI/AAAAAAAAARc/-twJPnyCLA8/s1600-h/messbag+152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SxlaHn2-qSI/AAAAAAAAARc/-twJPnyCLA8/s320/messbag+152.jpg" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxle21OOkoI/AAAAAAAAASU/Ib3FASc9IdU/s1600-h/miahair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Sxle21OOkoI/AAAAAAAAASU/Ib3FASc9IdU/s320/miahair.jpg" /></a><br /></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-81277304464046640382009-10-22T16:01:00.003-06:002009-10-22T16:08:56.942-06:00The "Scoodie"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SuDXxZ46pjI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/C7CHGu7Xfgg/s1600-h/IMG_6144.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SuDXxZ46pjI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/C7CHGu7Xfgg/s320/IMG_6144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395549597353027122" border="0" /></a><br />I was browsing Brick and Mortar Shops the other night...wanting a cool scarf...I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for....so I decided to make something....I didn't want just a scarf and beanie set...soooooo I made this. I'm going to try and make some for my Etsy store in the next couple of days. The Scoodie...the perfect blend of a hoodie and a scarf to keep my and everyone else's head, warm this winter. I want to make some for kiddies...maybe some that match my booties....wouldn't that be cute.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-69865984628853261092009-10-19T12:05:00.008-06:002009-10-19T12:52:10.414-06:00the Ups n' Downs....of Fall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/StywDa96bLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/xf6xjv9lfPU/s1600-h/IMG_6021.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/StywDa96bLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/xf6xjv9lfPU/s320/IMG_6021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394380026508111026" border="0" /></a><br />As I have mentioned before...Fall is my favorite season....the changing leaves, relief from the heat, and yummy baked goods. We decided to go on a picnic to McKittrick Canyon...where we heard that there was an amazing display of Fall leaves. I packed us an amazing picnic lunch...th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/StywrYsJ4zI/AAAAAAAAAQM/demcv0gF2Zg/s1600-h/IMG_6077.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 360px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/StywrYsJ4zI/AAAAAAAAAQM/demcv0gF2Zg/s320/IMG_6077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394380713091523378" border="0" /></a>at wasn't on the light side...and my hubby packed his backpack full of unnecessary items for a picnic...which weighed around 35 lbs. We were under the impression that this was a light hike...and didn't see the signs posted that it was a 6.8 mile round trip. I failed to mention that my back is still hurting and we took Jude. The trip quickly turned sour...meltdowns followed. Joseph ended up carrying Jude, his backpack...and until I felt sorry for him....the picnic bag....3 miles is a long way if you are carrying an extra 70 lbs...so we ended up finding a quiet spot and eating our picnic lunch....and heading back. Jude was also working on his Junior Ranger Badge...and we missed the station closing my minutes....so we decided to come back the next day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/StyxDvUP-SI/AAAAAAAAAQU/AopZlpzCLJE/s1600-h/IMG_6072.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/StyxDvUP-SI/AAAAAAAAAQU/AopZlpzCLJE/s320/IMG_6072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394381131482134818" border="0" /></a><br />We packed lighter, made PB&amp;J's and started 3 hours early....Jude also got his badge before we left...we thought, "man, this going so good so far!" Famous Last Words.<br />About an hour into the hike Jude falls....and face plants on a rock....blood, tears...and a chipped tooth...the boy is determined to knock those teeth out....we don't have anything medical but wipes, "neo to go" and some bandaids. There is nothing to do...but comfort him. He calmed down 5 minutes later, so we decided to keep going and made it to the Pratt Cabin...where we eat an "ok" picnic linner (lunch/dinner) and explored the cabin. Jude immediately told anyone <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Styzd5ZteKI/AAAAAAAAAQk/kcz4qquYPuU/s1600-h/IMG_6090.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Styzd5ZteKI/AAAAAAAAAQk/kcz4qquYPuU/s320/IMG_6090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394383779889248418" border="0" /></a>that would listen, "I busted my tooth on a rock and it's broken" When were on our way back we stopped at the famous rock...and found the little chip of tooth still there! The entire way back we heard "put my tooth back on...it hurts!" Poor little guy.<br />The Fall leaves were amazing, and the canyon was beautiful...I did get some great pics...but I'm not sure if it was worth all the trouble.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Styyu6Kbu7I/AAAAAAAAAQc/-rTU5w4HzYI/s1600-h/IMG_6094.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Styyu6Kbu7I/AAAAAAAAAQc/-rTU5w4HzYI/s320/IMG_6094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394382972639755186" border="0" /></a>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-20546836276515005332009-10-08T20:01:00.003-06:002009-10-08T20:12:36.258-06:00Fall on the Brain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Ss6bsORo4vI/AAAAAAAAAP8/wjhJ15HvwyU/s1600-h/hair4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/Ss6bsORo4vI/AAAAAAAAAP8/wjhJ15HvwyU/s320/hair4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390416988057690866" border="0" /></a><br />This week has been "difficult" to say the least. I hurt my back for the hundredth time...but there always seems to be good that comes from everything. Since I'm doing a lot of laying/sitting around....it has given me more time to create. I doesn't hurt to move my arms...so I can still sew or glue.<br />I've also been able to slow down and enjoy the changing weather. Last Sunday was the harvest moon....we drove right into it for most of the night....surrounded by the desert's colorful skies and perfect purple mountains...it was breath taking. In the town that we are staying in...is a cute fabric shop that actually sold real felt....with wool...not just polyester. I've had a difficult time finding high quality wool felt...so I hit the jackpot...this of course came after I ordered a bunch online. However I found the perfect shade of pumpkin spice orange and made this hair wrap. It in honor of the best season....Fall<br /><br />This weekend is the pumpkin festival and corn maze....I think I can manage making popcorn balls and homemade cocoa....pics to follow :)<br /><br />Adoption Process Update: today we got a phone call from the previous foster care situation. The foster mother told us that their social worker was very excited to get into contact with us. So we called and left a message. We still have a lot of questions....but it's a step forward.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-30726158483419561272009-09-30T09:15:00.002-06:002009-09-30T09:24:34.547-06:00Sunday Sunday SundayWe met a couple that is fostering 2 sweet girls ages 2 and 5 this past Sunday. Afterwards, the foster mom told us that they were currently looking for a forever family for them and that they have an 8 month old sister and "one on the way" that may be taken by the state. We still don't know all the details...or if the state is really going to terminate rights. But we did tell her we were interested. We also had a meeting with our social worker to drop off additional paperwork (So thankful we found everything!) and told her about it. She also told us that they were going to show our profile to 2 birthfamilies this week. We are hoping that the door opens for us this time around. We are extremely guarded....we have to be!mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-10224730056454763572009-09-23T16:09:00.004-06:002009-09-23T16:15:32.907-06:00My new adventure<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SrqdxPbPE-I/AAAAAAAAAP0/Wt-zTYHLBEE/s1600-h/hair+010.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 258px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384789773754766306" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SrqdxPbPE-I/AAAAAAAAAP0/Wt-zTYHLBEE/s320/hair+010.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SrqdlvQD0oI/AAAAAAAAAPs/dJEPeVSC_oo/s1600-h/hair+027.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 208px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384789576139395714" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SrqdlvQD0oI/AAAAAAAAAPs/dJEPeVSC_oo/s320/hair+027.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div>So I was invited to a wedding and the only dress I could find that I liked was black...I'm not big on wearing an all black dress to a wedding...so I decided to make something for my hair. I began sketching a simple flower head wrap....and then made this. I decided to add these to my Etsy store and will be working hard to get one in every color done this week. I'm also going to offer matching hair clips that will match the booties that I make. </div><div>At least now, I won't show up as the angel of death.</div></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-83445437296902912672009-09-08T23:50:00.010-06:002009-09-09T00:11:57.041-06:00I heart photography<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdGnSm2pTI/AAAAAAAAAPk/zQIc2fRK96U/s1600-h/pregomari09+087b.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 198px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379345920740992306" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdGnSm2pTI/AAAAAAAAAPk/zQIc2fRK96U/s320/pregomari09+087b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdGc_5E7WI/AAAAAAAAAPc/xOsZX2kWGgs/s1600-h/Collage1b.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379345743918460258" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdGc_5E7WI/AAAAAAAAAPc/xOsZX2kWGgs/s320/Collage1b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdEva5MLSI/AAAAAAAAAPM/D7NoA3I2GYU/s1600-h/IMG_5214a.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379343861381082402" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdEva5MLSI/AAAAAAAAAPM/D7NoA3I2GYU/s320/IMG_5214a.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdEhBqt6qI/AAAAAAAAAPE/_qjIi6-5Q2U/s1600-h/colorized1a.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379343614091324066" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SqdEhBqt6qI/AAAAAAAAAPE/_qjIi6-5Q2U/s320/colorized1a.jpg" /></a><br /><br />My latest. I heart photography. I heart getting paid for something I'm passionate about. I think typing "I heart" is lame. </div><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-37153134511557321412009-08-26T10:57:00.004-06:002009-08-26T11:14:09.190-06:00guns and tattoos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SpVr0YLTVFI/AAAAAAAAAO0/Wz_foOSAYw0/s1600-h/mess1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SpVr0YLTVFI/AAAAAAAAAO0/Wz_foOSAYw0/s320/mess1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374320277923779666" border="0" /></a><br />I've got two choices...to be bored or be creative...<br />The town we have temporarily moved to, has absolutely nothing to do...for me or my son. We've tried going back and forth to our home town, but being away from daddy is too much. I've been thinking about making a Man-Bag lately....I made this one...but my hubby said that he didn't think the color was manly enough....so I made him model it :) and listed it as a unisex bag. I like the color...but then again...I am a woman. I'm making another one that is chocolate and khaki....that's "manly" right?<br /><br /><br />On another note, my son turned 3 1/2 last weekend....I can believe it...it seems like yesterday we were going through the crazy whirlwind of adoption...<br />Every 6 months I do a "photo shoot" with him...I searched high and low for temp tats...the dollar store came through for me...paired with an awesome hat, wife beater and real converse...I had a ham on my hands.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SpVsSOGM35I/AAAAAAAAAO8/bmuJBWANIAE/s1600-h/IMG_4813.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SpVsSOGM35I/AAAAAAAAAO8/bmuJBWANIAE/s320/IMG_4813.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374320790614106002" border="0" /></a>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-63688080593049372082009-08-05T10:45:00.005-06:002009-08-05T11:02:02.782-06:00Tattoo<img style="width: 397px; height: 166px;" alt="The image “http://erikwillits.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/p90x-posters.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://erikwillits.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/p90x-posters.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />I've decided that for my 30th birthday (which was last March lol) I'm going to get the tattoo that I've wanted for years. However...in order to do this in December...I made a goal to get in shape...by using the semi-torture tool of P90X and jogging. P90X is intense and kinda crazy. I'm on day 2...and my arms are rendered useless. My hubby is doing it too...he loves giving me those "way to go" slaps on the butt....I find it annoying. I'd slap him...but yet again...my arms are useless. I will say that it is hard to do an hour of exercise with my 3 year old, but it's super adorable to see him try and do the exercises. So we will see in 90 days if I feel my effort is tattoo worthy.mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-72914287069916291342009-07-21T23:28:00.002-06:002009-07-21T23:33:05.317-06:00I made front page of etsyI was so excited to learn that my Jack Bear Booties made the front page this morning. I was wondering why I had a crazy amount of views and 24 new "hearts"! It is such an honor...especially since Etsy Administration put it together!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SmajnBurIAI/AAAAAAAAAOs/ZxGOxsndesg/s1600-h/3743855513_ce870dcff3_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SmajnBurIAI/AAAAAAAAAOs/ZxGOxsndesg/s320/3743855513_ce870dcff3_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361152297305579522" border="0" /></a>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580028992938071711.post-50985502879586134062009-07-17T15:51:00.003-06:002009-07-17T16:07:37.885-06:00Lap Top Messengers...for the birds<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SmD11INWg-I/AAAAAAAAAOc/q4ZfnavvIlM/s1600-h/messengers+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359553849656247266" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SmD11INWg-I/AAAAAAAAAOc/q4ZfnavvIlM/s320/messengers+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I custom made this mustard yellow canvas messenger for my friend last week...I loved it so much that I made one in a beautiful sky blue and chocolate...this was my first time "free handing"...or should I say "free-sewing" a picture...I loved this bag so much I almost didn't list it on my <a href="http://magnolyadesigns.etsy.com/">store</a>. Lately I've been slightly obsessed with birds...not live ones...I'm honestly not a fan...but the silhouettes of birds on branches.</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SmD2D5JaZUI/AAAAAAAAAOk/wnnGryHKuI0/s1600-h/messengers+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359554103311230274" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dXDLt0EXlqQ/SmD2D5JaZUI/AAAAAAAAAOk/wnnGryHKuI0/s320/messengers+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>No updates on the adoption portion of my life...I'm working on a second replica of the "dear birthparent" scrapbook...for the agency and that's about it. </div></div>mariselahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526204930119967947noreply@blogger.com2